Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I too wish to extend our heartfelt condolences to the family of Detective Garda Colm Horkan and extend sympathies to his colleagues in An Garda Síochána, to his wide and extensive group of friends and families in Cumann Lúthchleas Gael, and of course to the people of Charlestown and County Mayo. An honourable and a brave man has been lost. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

It is important at the outset to acknowledge it is now four years since the Brexit referendum, and it is a good time to remind ourselves that the people of the North of Ireland have not consented to leaving the EU. They are, in fact, being dragged out of the EU by Tory Brexiteers against their democratic vote. It is also a good time for us to recommit to ensuring that Ireland's national interests are upheld, that the Good Friday Agreement is protected, that the Irish protocols are defended, and that we are absolutely resolute in opposing any return to a hard Border on our island.

Ireland has secured a seat on the UN Security Council. This is a mighty achievement and I acknowledge the hard work of all who contributed to it. It is also important to grasp this opportunity to advance the cause of human rights and justice internationally. It is time now for the Irish Government to stand up for the beleaguered people of Palestine. Thousands of Palestinians have died as a result of the illegal Israeli occupation. Gaza is an open-air prison with an economic blockade. Apartheid walls scar the landscape, and international law is openly and brazenly flouted by the Israeli occupiers whose violent settlement of Palestinian lands has displaced countless thousands of Palestinian people, rendering them refugees. The Palestinian people have been badly let down by the international community. There is strong support among the Irish people for the rights of Palestine, but this has not been matched by those in power.

In 2014, the Dáil voted unanimously to recognise the state of Palestine, and with this, the Irish political system was finally moving beyond symbolism to a principled stance. The then Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Charles Flanagan, pledged at that time to advance matters further. That was six years ago, and since then the Taoiseach and the Government have refused to act on the democratic vote of this House. Instead, they have retreated to the previous position that now is not the time. In fact, the recognition of the state of Palestine advances the prospect of a peace agreement and bolsters the hope of a stable future for the region based on the two-state solution. It is simply wrong to tell the Palestinian people that we support their call for statehood but then turn our backs on them when they reach out to us for recognition. That is the politics of copping out. That is the politics of the blind eye, and it flies on the face of achieving a lasting peace.

This copping out, we now learn, has extended into Government negotiations between Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party. The decision to drop the occupied territories Bill from the proposed programme for Government was both cynical and wrong. Any incoming Irish Government must take action now to demonstrate our solidarity with those living under the cruel and illegal occupation. When Deputy Neasa Hourigan of the Green Party was asked recently what happened to the occupied territories Bill, her answer was very stark. She said that Simon Coveney happened to the occupied territories Bill. That is an indictment of Fine Gael policy when it comes to the rights of the Palestinian people.

Any incoming Irish Government worthy of the name must take a strong stance against the proposed further annexation of Palestinian lands by the Israelis due to commence on 1 July. This proposal is a reprehensible continuation of open aggression against the Palestinians. The Irish Government must tell Prime Minister Netanyahu that this must stop.

Ireland, with our history of conflict and conflict resolution, is uniquely placed to help to build real and lasting peace in the Middle East. We know that dialogue works and that repression does not work. We know that an inclusive process built on equality and respect works. Dominance does not work. This is the perspective that we must take to the UN Security Council and into our meetings with other European leaders. We need to make a start at home by defending our commitments and by acting in defence of human dignity. The people of Palestine, beleaguered, besieged and betrayed by the inaction of the international community, now look to the world and to Ireland for help, and we must not fail them.

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